Journalists vie for access inside the NATO summit

May 21, 2012

NATO members and leaders from 60 countries will gather for the second day of the two-day summit Monday morning. But despite waiting in line to have equipment checked and being frisked by U.S. Secret Service agents, journalists covering the summit will likely not have much access to this morning’s meeting.

NATO countries are expected to confirm their commitment to withdraw most of their 130,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. That’s when Afghan forces become responsible for the security of their nation. Reporters at the summit will be able to watch a video stream, without audio, of leaders sitting down to start the talks. They’ll have to wait for the press conference at 12:15, when NATO Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen will brief journalists on what was discussed. There may be a chance to ask a few questions. But the heart of what was discussed – which countries are willing to contribute financially to help cover the cost of security after 2014 (an estimated 1.4 billion USD), who is willing to keep their troops in Afghanistan to continue with the training of Afghan police and military forces and other thorny issues, probably won’t be part of that briefing.

On Worldview we’ll delve deep into NATO’s role in Afghanistan and hash out the news of the morning with Hasina Safi, director of the Afghanistan Women’s Educational Centre, Mahbouba Seraj, founder and director of Soraya Marshal Consulting and executive board member of Afghan Women’s Network, Afifa Azim, general director and co-founder Afghan Women's Network, Suzzane Nossel, Amnesty International's Executive Director and Ian Hurd, professor of political science at Northwestern University.